Bad Things
by YamiAkane97
Summary: Yugi is given the chance to bring back his Yami, but what he doesn't realize is that it brings back ALL the yami's, not just his own. Ryou soon has to choose between the people who care about him and the person he loves. YYxY, BxR, MxM, SxJ. Yaoi M for future stuff
1. The Beginning

**Title: 'Bad Things.'**

**Summary: 'Yugi is given the chance to bring back his Yami, but what he doesn't realize is that it brings back ALL the yami's, not just his own. Ryou soon has to choose between the people who care about him and the person he loves. YYxY, BxR, MxM, SxJ. Yaoi.' **

**Beta: Hermione331**

**[Chapter One: The Beginning.]**

Yugi Mutou glared at the clock that sat on his nightstand. 5:04 it read, reminding the nineteen year old that it was time to wake up and head off to his job. He groaned and threw back the bed covers, blinking back the sleep as he did so. From downstairs, he could hear the faint sounds of his grandfather making breakfast for him in the kitchen. Yugi smiled to himself. For so long, he'd told his grandfather not to worry about fixing breakfast for him—that he was old enough to do it himself. Not only that, but the man was getting too old to do these sorts of things. Yugi often told the elderly man that it was best if he stayed in bed and let him do all the cooking and cleaning. Sugoroku would only chuckle at his grandson and chide him gently that he was the adult, so he should be the one to look after him.

Yugi hurriedly fixed his hair and pulled on his clothes for the day. The usual blue jeans and black singlet were long gone, now replaced with black skinny jeans and a dark red T-shirt. In his own personal opinion, he believed it made him look more mature than what he did three years ago. Just as he was passing his bedroom mirror, he caught a glimpse of himself. He couldn't help but frown as he saw his bare pale neck. Despite its absence for the past few years, Yugi could not get over how plain he looked without his millennium puzzle, and the ancient Pharaoh that once lived within.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was lonely without his darker half. Before, Atemu had made everything fun. From playing card games to doing homework, his yami was always there—talking to him and laughing with him. Yugi bit his lower lip as his plum eyes looked about his room for something to cover his neck. He spotted his long abandoned choke chain sitting on the far end of his desk. Hesitantly, he crossed the room and picked it up. He remembered vaguely that he used to wear this alongside his puzzle. Eyes flickering to his reflection, he decided that he'd wear it.

Sugoroku looked up from a pan of frying eggs to see his grandson coming down the stairs. "Be quick, Yugi. Can't be late for work again, hmm?" He said before turning back to the eggs. Yugi nodded and moved to sit in a chair at the dining table. He smiled at his grandfather when he brought over the now cooked eggs on a plate.

"What time do you think you'll be home?" the elderly man asked as he set the plate in front of Yugi. The younger man shrugged before picking up his knife and fork and helping himself to the eggs. Sugoroku sighed. "You need to be able to tell me, Yugi. How else am I meant to find time to spend with you?"

"I know, grandpa. It's just….hard. You know?" Yugi said; his eyes downcast. He bit the inside of his cheek when his grandfather frowned at him. In truth, Sugoroku didn't know. He couldn't understand why his grandson had to work soo much and then not have any time for collage.

Yugi finished his eggs quickly and put the empty plate in the sink. He grabbed his dark leather jacket and gave the elderly man a kiss on the cheek, saying his goodbyes as he headed out the door. Sugoroku watched him go with sad eyes, wondering when the boy would stop distancing himself and move on. He sighed once more, and decided that he'd go have a cup of tea, and maybe put his legs up.

~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~

Yugi watched as his co-worker fidgeted around with his uniform with a dull look on his face, seeming lost in thought. Yugi couldn't blame him, seeing as he was just as bored. The day had passed being rather uneventful. Yugi guessed the only reason they didn't have many customers was because it was a mid day Monday—and most people were busy working. The usually busy hardware store was now practically empty, save for the few employees that had been roped into working on a Monday. Yugi found his head lolling to the side as it rested on the palm of his hand, and felt his eye lids slowly shutting closed.

He silently wished his grandfather _had _let him work at the game shop, but the old man believed that Yugi should explore the world some more before making his decision. He'd told him firmly that the game shop needed someone who was dedicated, and he wanted to make sure Yugi wasn't going to regret taking over the job for him. Yugi was slightly hurt by this. He'd thought he'd made it pretty clear to his grandfather that he wanted nothing more than to run the shop alongside him. But nothing could be done about it now, he supposed. He may as well satisfy the man with a few jobs here and there.

He opened his eyes and they flickered over to the clock. He was relieved to see that he only had half an hour left until he could leave, and the thought gave him a small boost of energy. He was just about to clean up his register that he'd been standing behind all day, when he heard a crash.

He looked up to see a sheepish looking customer staring back at him, his face flushed with humiliation. Yugi bit back a groan as he stared at the fallen wooden planks scattered around the poor man. He hurried over to the customer, who had begun to utter his apologies. Yugi waved them off and set about cleaning up the mess. He lifted the planks back up with ease, despite his short height. He was slightly grateful to the years of bullying he'd sustained throughout high school—for it had improved his muscles a fair bit, although he still retained a lean figure. Still, he pouted when someone mentioned his small height, and insisted that he wasn't that short. Only for people to snicker at him later.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted his co-worker from before watching him with little interest. He scowled at the other teen for not helping him out. After all, they were supposed to work as a team, right? Yugi looked away from his lazy co-worker, his teeth clenched.

Thankfully, the cleaning took up the remaining half hour and he was allowed to leave immediately after. He smirked at the co-worker as he passed him, pleased to know the other guy would be there for another three hours.

Grabbing his things out of his locker, he left the building in a hurry. He had to adjust his eyes to the sun that now bathed the land in a rich golden yellow glow, and made the shadows grow in contrast to the ones that morning. The teen licked his partially dry lips as he began to make his way to his collage. He didn't know what time they'd end, but if he had to take a guess he'd say the class would go for an hour or two. Yugi debated whether or not he should call his grandpa and tell him he'd be late home, or just continue on his way. He put a hand to his forehead and decided on the latter, guessing that his grandfather would just worry if he didn't call. He was just pulling out his cell phone when his eyes spotted someone walking over to him casually. Normally, this wouldn't catch his attention- as he would just assume that this person was walking past him. But this person seemed rather familiar, not to mention you didn't see many people walking around looking like that in public.

"Shadi?"

He was right, it was him. The man looked up at his name and a small smile graced his cold chiseled features. His features seemed more sharpened than what Yugi remembered and it brought him more into focus. The little things that he'd missed before, like the colour of Shadi's eyes now stood out more. Yugi bit his lip nervously as he noticed the man didn't have a shadow, nor could he hear his footsteps on the pavement. Weird…

"Yugi, it's been a long time." He begun, his smile still etched onto his face. Yugi gave his own small, polite smile and looked away uneasily. He felt nervous around Shadi, whose presence seemed odd and unnatural.

"Shall we sit?" Shadi asked and he gestured over to a nearby bench with a casual wave of his bronze hand. Yugi said nothing but nodded and went over to sit by his companion. The two sat there quietly and Shadi had his gaze fixed on the sky. Yugi's hands fidgeted with one another, and he looked about nervously. He wanted to tell the Egyptian that he couldn't stay long because of his classes, but he found the words stuck in his throat.

Shadi glanced over at him before his eyes went back to staring at the sky. "Tell me, Yugi. Do you miss the Pharaoh?" he asked quietly, cutting off Yugi's train of thought. Yugi blinked and looked up at the man who was much taller than himself. His eyes widened at the sudden question and he felt his law slacken.

"What?"

"I asked if you missed the Pharaoh."

"I-I know," Yugi stuttered, "But that's pretty straight forward."

"I suppose it is." Shadi said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

The two fell silent again, and Yugi felt his nerves growing. He watched the man out the corner of his eyes, and felt the urge to tell him that he needed to be on his way. He was about to say something when the Egyptian cut him off.

"You need to be somewhere?" Shadi questioned without looking at him. Yugi gave a small, hesitant nod in reply.

"Then I'll be quick." He said calmly. He looked tired, Yugi noted with faint surprise. He had shadows underneath his eyes which he guessed meant that the man hadn't been sleeping well. When Shadi looked at him suddenly with his dull brown eyes, Yugi wondered what on Earth could have brought the man out all this way.

"Tell me, Yugi… what would you do if I told you I could bring the Pharaoh back?"

"I'd say you were crazy."

Shadi chuckled softly at this. "Yes, I suppose you would, wouldn't you?" He smiled back at him. "But I'm not joking here, Yugi."

A thin smile appeared on Yugi's face and he looked down warily at his sneakers, choosing to ignore the fact that his feet still didn't quite reach the ground. "No," he said softly, "I suppose you aren't."

Shadi's smile faded, but he still watched Yugi. The sky was slowly beginning to darken, and Yugi feared that he'd miss his class. He moved to stand up when the Egyptian caught his wrist firmly.

"Yugi, do you want him back?"

The teen glanced down at the hand that held his wrist and looked back up at the man. All traces of humor were gone now; in its place was cold seriousness. Yugi gulped, but his answer came out clear.

"Yes," he murmured quietly, so quietly that Shadi had to strain to hear him. "Yes, I want him back."

Shadi nodded and let go. He stood up and turned away from Yugi, who was completely confused by the man's actions. Again, he was unnerved by Shadi's lack of sound. When Shadi turned his head around to look back at him, the teen could have sworn he saw the Egyptian smiling at him and mouth '_good choice.' _ Before walking away, leaving no evidence that he was ever there at all.

~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~

**So what did you think? Please let me know! It's my first fanfic…. **

**Please, give a round of applause to my Beta, Hermione331! She really helped me out here!**

**Review? Please? **


	2. Enter, Bakura

**Disclaimer: I forgot it last time….Oops. Uh, I don't own Yugioh! If I did, you would see heaps more Yaoi and it wouldn't be rated for kids. xD**

**[Chapter Two: Enter, Bakura]**

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

"_What does it take?_

_For it to be Quiet?_

_Quiet like the snow…"_

_-Louder than Thunder._

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

Ryou sat at his desk with his head resting in a palm, a book on philology lying open before him on a random page. The clock on his wall read 8:30pm, reminding the teen that he'd spent his whole day doing nothing but studying. He let out a small sigh and his head fell from the palm and came to rest on the book. He lay there for awhile, contemplating why he'd bother to waste the day away. He regretted his thoughts the moment an image of his smiling father popped into his head. Of course the man was the reason he was doing this. These days, he was the cause of all Ryou's problems. Despite knowing that the archeologist would never be truly happy with his son, Ryou never thought that it would hurt to try. Even after he found out that his father was starting up another family over in Egypt, he still didn't lose hope. In his mind, if he could get his father to accept him, then maybe they could go back to the way they used to be. Before the….._Accident. _

A rumble from inside the teen's stomach reminded him he still had to eat. He shuffled out of the dimly lit room into the bright, yellow kitchen. He never understood why people made kitchen's to look so bright, but he figured that it must have something to do with the food. The sickly yellow tiles squeaked under his feet as he crossed the room to the dull brown pantry. He opened it up and peered inside. He felt his eyebrows come down in a frown as he noticed that the only food he could possibly cook tonight would be the instant Ramen.

He'd probably never admit to anyone how lonely he felt at times, but he assumed that would be because nobody would really care. These days, everyone was busy doing something. Like him, Yugi was always working and studying, hardly leaving any time at all for fun. Malik had attempted to bring them both out once, only for them both to decline and tell him they had to work or something. Ryou suspected Malik knew that they were both avoiding everyone. Yugi, like himself, didn't really want to be around other people most days. Especially the other Hikari's. Ryou believed that it was because they reminded him too much of the Pharaoh. He didn't blame the other teen though. He himself would rather not be reminded of his Yami.

The teen sighed and snapped himself out of his musings to focus on making his dinner. His pale hand snaked out and grasped the Styrofoam cup firmly and brought it over to the kitchen counter. He flicked on the jug of water and waited for it to boil. His stomached gave yet another loud complaint, causing him to scowl at it reproachfully. Licking his dry lips, he leaned against the hard edge of the counter and continued waiting.

Once that was out of the way, he began to empty the packets of flavoring into the cup before adding the water. Not really in the mood for waiting for the noodles to soften, he took his cup over to his small white dinner table that looked as though it could seat only one person. Snapping open his disposable wooden chopsticks, he began to eat.

He was interrupted when his phone gave off a small beep, letting him know he had a text. With another sigh, he pulled out his phone from a pocket in his jeans and began to read.

**To: Ryou**

_Ryou…Man, __he's __back….._

**From: Malik**

Ryou felt his eyes shoot open wide as he read over the message for a second time. _He _could only be one person.

Fingers fumbling around with the buttons on the phone in desperation to reply, he knocked the steaming cup of Raman onto himself. With a cry of pain, he jumped up while inwardly cursing himself for his stupidity. The remains of the Raman continued to drip from his shirt, leaving a large brown stain in his light blue shirt. But he couldn't care less at that moment. He was far too focused on sending a reply back to his friend.

**To: Malik**

_How is that even possible?!_

**From: Ryou**

Standing there silently while staring at his phone, Ryou desperately awaited for his reply.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

**An Hour Earlier…**

"Man, this is bullshit." The Egyptian teen cursed as he took his usual route home. The sun had almost completely disappeared from the sky, save for the faint glow in the distance. At night, the shadows seemed to grow drastically. Kicking the occasional pebble aside, Malik growled and cursed whoever had decided to put college classes so late in the day. He wondered briefly if he'd be mugged while walking the streets, but shrugged it off easily. There was a reason he carried a flick blade around in his jean pocket.

His mind went to Isis, his older sister. Lately, she'd been too busy with the museum to ask how his classes had been. Rashid too seemed rather busy lately, which left Malik pretty much alone. He didn't blame his siblings, for they weren't completely at fault. He was just as busy as the two of them, what with studying and his part time job. Not to mention, he also had to keep tabs on the remaining tomb keepers, due to him being the only male on the Ishtar line.

He glared at the ground as if it were the cause of all his problems. With a slight shiver, he pulled up the grey hood on his jumper and continued on, muttering small curses at the world. The sound of his own shoes on the pavement was the only noise he could hear, and that thought alone kept him calm. It was kinda creepy walking home alone at night, especially around these parts. But as his lavender eyes glanced at every moving shadow suspiciously, he could hear the increase in his heart's tempo. Just what he was afraid of, he had no idea.

A cat's sudden yowl startled him, causing him to knock over a trashcan. He cursed as the sound of metal hitting the ground crashed all around him, sounding ten times louder in the night's silence. He moved on quickly, not bothering to pick up the fallen metal can. Instead, his feet quickened. After considering the possibility that someone heard the crash, he wanted nothing more than to be home with his family.

Licking his particularly dry lips, he mumbled a prayer to the gods that he'd be delivered home safely, and all in one piece. Malik's eyes darted around, watching for any sudden movement. His ears were on guard, listening out for any sound that didn't belong. The teen's heart hammered wildly in his chest, and he wondered if maybe it was loud enough for maybe the whole street to hear. It was irrational, he knew. There was nothing there. Not even a soul in sight. Yet, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched.

Then, he heard it. It was faint, but defiantly there. The sound of another pair of shoes hitting the pavement at a slow, calm pace. Malik froze, his insides turning to ice. It was late; nobody should be out at this time. But still, he was _not _imagining things.

He tried to reason with himself, inwardly weighing the chances that this person was going to actually pass him. But as the sound drew near, he knew that it was inevitable. It seemed silly to run when the owner of those feet would soon see him. And who was to say this person was going to hurt him? It could just be another college student on his way home, like him.

Malik quietly noted that the sound was coming from the nearest corner, the one he had to turn into. He cursed quietly and took a few steps forward, planning to ignore the person, whoever it may be. Sucking in a deep breath, he strode forwards.

At first, nothing happened. He made to walk past the stranger calmly, avoiding looking at him completely. But the moment he was directly in front of the stranger, almost about to pass him, the man stopped. At this, Malik froze too, rooted to the spot. His eyes betrayed him, glancing up at the man curiously while sweat trickled down his spine, causing his shirt to stick to his skin.

Obviously, he'd been expecting a mugger, or a homeless person, or something of the kind. He was not expecting, however, someone he knew _very _well.

"B-Bakura?"

The thief just stood there scowling, eyeing the teen with distaste. Malik felt his jaw drop as he realized he was right, it was the Thief King. It shocked him to see the thief, who was supposed to have crossed over three years ago. His shock grew when he saw that not only was the thief back, but he had his own body too.

"Y-You're back…" He stuttered, looking the man up and down, as if he still didn't believe it. "How is that even possible?"

Bakura just shrugged. It seemed he wasn't in the mood for making small talk, and judging from the scowl and glare, Malik guessed he was heading somewhere. This puzzled the tomb keeper, who wondered where on Earth he could be heading.

He forced himself to relax a bit, but knowing Bakura, he couldn't drop his guard down completely. At least he knew he'd be safe from muggers with the man, he hoped.

Trying again to talk to the white haired yami, he asked "So where are you heading."

Bakura's eyes narrowed an inch, and he studied Malik with newfound suspicion. The Egyptian considered snapping at him for it, but remained quiet. Being alone on the streets with Bakura was serious stuff. And should the Thief King choose to get rid of him, it wouldn't be hard. He swallowed uneasily while under the gaze of the Yami, thinking how odd it was to see Bakura just standing there, as if he'd never left.

"None of your business, Ishtar." Bakura finally growled, dropping his gaze to the ground. A flash of annoyance flared in Malik's mind, but he dismissed it quickly. It didn't matter where Bakura was heading, it _was _none of his business.

But it suddenly occurred to him where he might be going. After all, it wasn't like he knew Domino off by heart. The teen felt his stomach suddenly drop at the realization. He opened his mouth in horror to stare at the Yami.

"You're going to see Ryou!" He accused, not at all scared when Bakura's eyes flashed dangerously. His voice echoed down the street. Bakura moved, and for a second Malik wondered if he was going to attack him. But Bakura remained where he stood, continuing to glare at the teen with his crimson eyes.

Malik knew that the Yami's were supposed to look like their Hikari's, but in his own opinion, Bakura was nothing like Malik. Maybe it was because he knew more about both Yami's and Hikari's than most people (Save for those who were either a Yami or Hikari). But it was as plain as day that Bakura and Ryou were so different. Ryou, sweet and Innocent, while Bakura was nothing but darkness. Staring into those sadistic eyes confirmed it.

"You can't." Malik said, his voice now softer. "You can't see him. It would tear him to pieces."

Bakura grunted and looked away again, this time to the buildings across the street. Malik waited for him to say something, silently pleading that the thief would have a shred of decency. He was proved wrong though, when Bakura finally replied.

"What makes you think I care about what happens to him?"

'_Good Question.'_ Malik thought, eyes now on the pavement at Bakura's feet. Why would Bakura care about Ryou at all? He certainly hadn't before. He wanted to say something smart back, but instead he sighed.

"You're right. What the hell was I thinking?" He chuckled, slapping himself on the forehead. He ignored Bakura's deadpanned glared at him and continued on chuckling. Only at the sound of Bakura's loud sigh did he stop and glance over at him.

"You're a complete moron, Ishtar." He muttered, his eyes closed. Malik cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why the hell he had closed his eyes.

"You okay?" He asked, watching the thief intently. Bakura only opened his eyes and rolled them, choosing to ignore the teen.

"Ya' know, I always wondered if you had a thing for Ryou." Malik teased, his tone light. "I mean in a sadistic, gross kind of thing."

"Malik!" The thief hissed angrily, eyes wide. Malik snickered at the Yami and couldn't help but notice it was the first time he'd used Malik's first name throughout the whole conversation. He also didn't miss the light pink flush on his face.

"What are you going to do about Marik?" Bakura asked suddenly, causing the laughter to die on Malik's lips. He looked at the thief in both alarm and confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked while trying to keep his tone neutral. He cursed inwardly when he heard the sound of his shaky voice through his own ears.

"I mean, what are you going to do now that he's back?" Bakura asked, eyebrows narrowed down at the teen, also confused.

Malik paled. He felt himself become hot all over and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. _'Marik's…..Back?'_ Of course, it made sense now. If one came back, it had to mean that the other two yami's had also returned. He wanted to slap himself for not figuring it out sooner, but his own fear prevented him from moving.

"I thought you would have known, I mean, seeing as I'm here and all." The thief shrugged, oblivious to Malik's current distress. He continued on talking about how it all should have been obvious, but Malik had turned him out. He was far too busy with his own inner turmoil.

"Are you even listening, Ishtar?" Bakura snapped, irritation laced in with his words. They snapped the Egyptian out of his trance and he looked back up at Bakura's scowling face. He stared at him blankly, confused when Bakura sighed.

"Fine, Whatever. I have to go. Nice seeing you." Bakura grumbled, shoving past Malik with only half-hearted anger. Malik blinked and turned around to see the thief leaving him. Desperation filled him, and he called out to him.

"Stay away from Ryou!" He shouted, forcing down his fear of Marik finding him alone on the streets. He desperately wanted to call the whitette back, keep him company on his way home. But he reasoned that it was probably better this way. He was almost home after all.

"Whatever." Bakura answered back, not even turning back to look at him.

Malik gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone. He _had _to let Ryou know. It wouldn't be fair to do otherwise. Punching in his message, he bit back the urge to cry out in frustration. Three years it had been since the yami's had left, what in the name of Ra could have brought them all back? He sent the message and let out a breath. He shoved the phone back into his pocket, and that was when he noticed something else. Something that really shouldn't have surprised him.

His flick knife was missing.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

"Yugi, there's someone here for you!" his grandfather's voice shouted from downstairs. Yugi lifted his head up, blinking in surprise while wondering who on Earth could be coming over at this time. He doubted it could be any of his friends, seeing as they didn't like walking around at night on the streets. (Save for Malik, but Yugi also doubted it was him because the teen was always busy.) So Yugi's mind flickered to Shadi, who he'd met that day. Could the Egyptian man be coming back to have more words with him?

He sighed. That also sounded unlikely. The teen pouted as he exited the bathroom, not all that happy with the idea of leaving his nice warm shower. Not bothering at all to put on anything more than a towel. It wasn't like his grandfather would care, and the stranger would have to get over it. After all, they'd interrupted his shower. He reasoned that it was probably just someone from his collage dropping off notes hid missed in the past week. They'd probably only stay for a few minutes anyway.

Taking two steps at a time down the staircase, he hurried to the front door. He could hear his grandfather talking to the person in the foyer, probably entertaining them until Yugi would come along. But he seriously doubted that the person was really going to be entertained. After all, the only person who could really _get_ his grandpa was Yugi himself. Other people really didn't understand the man's passion for treasure and games like Yugi did. But that was probably what brought the two closer together. Snapping out of his quiet musings, Yugi turned the corner into the foyer, where his face and body connected with something. Something…._Hard. _

"Oww!" He yelped as he was sent sprawling to the floor. He looked up and saw that what he'd bumped into was not a _something_, but a _someone. _

Standing there, looking down at him with an amused smile was none other than his Yami.

The shorter teen felt his jaw drop. He just sat there staring at the Yami, eyes rounder than dinner plates. From the side, he could hear his grandfather chuckling softly, as though he found this whole situation amusing. But Yugi couldn't help but gawk Atemu, who now apparently had his own body to maneuver.

The Pharaoh bent down and held out a hand to his fallen Hikari, who just stared at it in wonder. Rolling his eyes and grinning, he grasped Yugi's forearm and pulled him up into a standing position. When he pulled back, he noticed that the short teen was now staring at the place where he had just touched him.

"It's nice to see you again, Aibou." Atemu said with a smile. Yugi inwardly tried to shake his thoughts away. When he'd told Shadi he wanted him back, he didn't really think….

But it was true; his Yami was here with him. And that thought alone made Yugi want to cry out with joy. Instead, he smiled back. He noted how his Yami hadn't changed at all since he'd last seen him, pale skinned and ruby eyed. The teen briefly wondered why he hadn't taken his original form of when he was the Pharaoh. But he shrugged it off, little things like that hardly mattered.

Yugi reached out and put his arms around his Yami, inwardly pleased he didn't have to try and stand on his toes just to hug him like he had to with most people (Save for perhaps his grandpa.) And as Atemu put his own arms around Yugi, the shorter teen smiled softly. He still couldn't believe that he was back with his own body and all.

When they broke apart, Yugi noticed that the Pharaoh had raised a slim dark eyebrow at his appearance. Flushing a bright pink, Yugi looked away. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have had a problem with being dressed in only a towel around his yami, but the way the Pharaoh kept looking at him made him feel all flustered.

"Loving your new outfit." Yami commented slyly while giving his Hikari a small wink. Yugi tried to look upset at this, but instead he failed, and continued to blush without shame.

"I guess I'll let you two catch up then?" Sugoroku asked, and Yugi couldn't miss the odd look in his eye that told him the old man was up to something. He shrugged it off though, not really caring for anything else besides the ancient Pharaoh that stood before him.

"Yeah. We _defiantly _need to catch up, Grandpa." He said while smiling at Atemu, who gave him a curt nod.

He took hold of the Egyptian's hand and bounded up the stairs, dragging the yami behind him. Oddly enough, he just knew the Pharaoh didn't mind at all. And just before he slammed his door shut behind him, he heard his grandfather call out to him from below.

"And Yugi, put some clothes on!"

He blushed and rolled his eyes. What else did the old man think he was going to do? Walk around naked with his yami around?

The thought alone made him blush harder, as he pictured the sight of himself stark naked with the handsome Yami.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

_**(The Lyric's at the top seemed to fit the chapter…..)**_

**Wow! Thanks soo much for the reviews, Favorites and Alerts! I feel so loved! (Are you guys actually reading this?!)**

**Thanks to your reviews to the last chapter, I spent a whole day writing this one! It was awesome. I felt so….Inspired! Who knew writing could actually bring out this side of you?!**

**Again, Give Hermione331 a pat on the back. She's really a great BETA. Without her, I wouldn't have many ideas….**

**So, here's Bakura! And of course, the lovable Yami! **

**~YamiAkane**


	3. Dancing With the Devil

**[Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, or the song. :P**

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

"_Here I stand,_

_Helpless and left for dead..."_

_-Breaking Benjamin, Dance with the Devil._

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

**[Chapter Three: Dancing with the devil.]**

The former spirit swore under his breath as he darted down the dimly lit street, rain pelting him harshly like tiny disintegrating bullets. Hair wild and eyes flashing a dark crimson, he splashed his way towards his destination. If he remembered correctly, the brat lived right down the street after the turn…..ah, yup. The building still stood there, looking just as gloomy as the last time he'd seen it. The pale rooftop was slowly caving in on itself and the paint was peeling back to reveal the harsh wooded planks beneath it. He stopped and stared at it for a moment longer before making his way closer with the intention of coming inside.

Taking slow, deliberate steps up the front porch, he wondered what his former landlord's reaction would be to his sudden appearance. No doubt Malik had already found a way to alert him. Modern technology was _so _annoying. He gritted his teeth. How it the world worked these days was just far too confusing. Because his mind was still on the annoyance of the world's technology, he didn't notice where his feet were going. The floorboards of the porch creaked, complaining under his weight. The sound awoke him from his thoughts and his head snapped up in alarm. He hardly dared to breathe as he stood frozen on the peeling wooden boards beneath his feet. The night itself seemed to be on standstill with him as he listened for the slightest sound from within the house. When he heard nothing, he let out a tiny sigh of relief. He then slowly crept forwards, the whole time testing each floorboard to see if it made any complaints. When he finally made it to the front door, he knocked on it with quick, sharp raps. The sound of his knocking echoed down the street, putting even himself on edge. He may be the fearless, apathetic Yami—but that did not mean he'd let his guard slip even for a second.

The sounds of lazy footsteps reached his ears and let a small smirk appear on his face. He imagined his Hikari stumbling sleepily out of bed and into that dull coloured living room to answer the door. Idly, he pulled out his newly acquired flick blade and began admiring the cool steal. It wasn't anything special, he summarised. It was far too small to do any _real _damage. For that you'd need a bigger knife. But still—it still posed the same threat. He knew that all he had to was point it at someone and they'd be under his control. Who needed a Millennium rod when you had a knife? That was exactly why he'd stolen it. It'd get things _done. _

Finally, the footsteps reached the other side of the door and he sent a thankful message to the gods for not putting peephole or any windows for Ryou to look out of. If they had, Ryou would take one look at him and refuse to let him in. And he _really _wasn't in the mood for breaking down doors and windows.

Just as the door was about to swing open, he plastered a large smirk on his face. He felt smug with himself, and couldn't help but imagine how humble his light would be when would see him standing there.

But, the thief was proved wrong as Ryou opened the door. At first, he stared at his yami with a bewildered expression on his face. When his gaze flickered to the knife in his hands, his eyes widened.

The last thing the Thief was expecting was the teen to scream.

"Shut the fuck up, will you!" He shouted over the scream, lunging himself forwards and onto his light. He smacked a hand over Ryou's mouth, a snarl forming on his lips. They tumbled to the ground in a heap, Bakura falling on top of the Hikari who was still screaming through his hands.

"You want your neighbours to call the cops? Huh? Do you?!" He whispered harshly at Ryou, who cringed back with a pained look in his eyes.

Bakura's hand slipped momentarily when the teen squirmed. He winced when Ryou continued to scream. It echoed through the street, alerting anyone nearby that trouble was brewing. He slammed his hand back over Ryou's mouth. He ignored his light's teeth that had begun to nip at every inch of flesh on his hand he could get at. The thief looked over his shoulder and out the open door, a little surprised when he saw that nobody had come to the rescue. Not that he really minded, but he would have at least thought someone would at least come to have a peek.

Using his foot, he leaned over and slammed the door shut, not caring at all about the bang that it created. Ryou continued to struggle, twisting around in his yami's grasp. Bakura found it kind of amusing that he was straddling Ryou—probably making the teen really uncomfortable. He couldn't care less though. If Ryou was going to scream, then this was what he deserved.

"Are you going to scream?" He hissed in Ryou's face. "Are you?"

The boy whimpered, tears forming in his eyes as he shook his head frantically. Bakura hesitated for a second before pulling his hand away. When Ryou didn't scream, he put the hand down on Ryou's chest. They both stayed there for a while, breathing heavily as they stared at each other. Bakura was the first to look away.

"Why the fuck would you scream like that, Brat?" He growled while looking over at the far wall to their right. Ryou didn't answer, so he gave a small huff and climbed off him slowly. He noticed that Ryou's cheeks were tinged a slight pink. This only confused him, making him wonder what on Earth could be making him flush like that.

Ryou suddenly spoke up. He asked quietly without really looking at the thief.

"Why are you here?"

Well, he'd thought that was pretty obvious. Where else was he supposed to go? But instead of voicing his mind, he let out a breath of air. His crimson eyes glanced over at the slightly disgruntled Hikari, who still had his eyes averted.

He sighed and looked down. He'd really expected things to go over more smoothly. Peeking another glance at Ryou, he noticed that the teen was slightly trembling. Bakura frowned; he wondered why on Earth he'd be shaking like that. It wasn't as though it was cold or anything…

Malik's words then echoed in his mind. _"It would tear him apart…"_

Yeah. Now he could see that. But he couldn't understand _why. _ He hadn't done anything to Ryou, who was still sitting on the floor trembling. He wouldn't ever intentionally hurt the boy, who was far too innocent to be abused by anyone.

He knew that everyone in this world only cared about one person. Themselves. Bakura had learnt this himself as a young boy, thousands of years ago. But occasionally, he'd come across that _one _person who wasn't like that. His mother had been one of those people. She'd selflessly sacrifice everything she owned to help a person out. Ryou was like that too, he realised. Ryou would do whatever was in his power to help a person out. He grunted at this realisation, silently curious as to why he didn't realise this sooner.

"Hey," He said softly, "I ain't gonna hurt you…"

Bakura was shocked when Ryou glared up at him, Brown eyes harsh and piercing. He blinked back his shock and tried to compose his face.

"Oh really? What about these then?" Ryou demanded, lifting up his shirt.

Looking at the teen's lean chest, he noticed the faint pink hole puncture marks that marred the teens otherwise perfect skin. He gritted his teeth when he saw the scars, firmly reminding him of the time he had to punish his Light for his disobedience.

"And these?"

This time he lifted up his sleeve, revealing another gruesome mark. Bakura bit his lip as his eyes travelled over the Light's forearm. Yes, he had been rather cruel to Ryou in the past—but it hadn't been intentional. It wasn't as if he went out of his way to hurt him, just sometimes he got in the way.

"Don't get all pissy at me." He snapped "It's your fault you got all of them. You got in the way of my goals."

A look flashed across Ryou's face, but it was gone before Bakura got a chance to decipher it. Instead of commenting further, Ryou stood up and walked away into the conjoining kitchen. Bakura growled, hating how easily his Light could brush him off.

As Ryou walked into the room he flicked on the light, illuminating the kitchen with its bright, cheery glow. The kitchen was the only room in the house that Bakura really hated. He couldn't understand why the previous owners of the house made just one room of the house so bright.

Ryou stalked over to his small, one seated table and pulled out the chair. With a small nod of his head, he indicated for Bakura to take a seat. The thief raised an eyebrow, but complied. Once seated, he stared up at his lighter half expectantly. Ryou bit his lip as he watched the Yami, eyes clouded over with slight worry. Finally, it seemed he had gained the courage to speak.

"So….How are you back?"

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

Ryou stood calmly before his yami, pondering what it was exactly that he wanted to ask him. He decided to begin with the most easiest and simplest of Questions.

"So….How are you back?"

He watched as Bakura's face instantly became dark and his eyes flashed. He sighed and raised his hand up to run through his silvery hair, and then let it rest under his chin.

"What is it with you Hikari's and wanting to know how I came here?" He asked, irritation laced in with his words.

"You've spoken to Malik then?"

"Wow, just how _did _you figure that out?"

Ryou knew it was sarcasm, but he ignored it. "Malik sent me a text…"He trailed off.

"Yeah, I figured."

Silence issued, and Ryou squirmed a little. It was extremely uncomfortable to be alone with his yami, who could probably kill him at any given moment.

"I don't know." Bakura finally answered, red eyes looking away. "One minute, I'm in total darkness. The next, I'm waking up naked in the middle of the street with my own body."

Had this been anyone else, Ryou probably would have laughed. But this was Bakura, and he probably would hang him from the tree outside if he so much as cracked a smile.

"I thought I was done with this world Damit!" He snarled, his fist smashing down on the table. Ryou jumped back; startled. Eyes wide, he watched his Yami growl at nothing in particular.

Bakura looked so…angry. That was the only word Ryou could use to summaries Bakura's actions. His face was twisted up in an ugly snarl, eyes glinting dangerously.

"Maybe…Something happened?" Ryou offered up quietly, wincing when his yami's glowering eyes flickered onto him.

"Damn straight something happened. And you're going to help me fix it."

Ryou only stared, disbelieving. "You show up here in the middle of the night, tackle me to the ground, scare me senseless, Straddle me in my doorway, then demand that I help you die. Are you serious?"

Bakura just looked back up at him with a blank expression. Ryou sighed, tired after the long night.

"So I take it you're staying here then?" He asked the thief warily. He nodded blandly, and rested his head on the table. It seemed Ryou wasn't the only one tired.

"Come on." Ryou sighed yet again. "You can sleep on the couch."

And with that, the two stalked off to their own separate beds. Ryou not even bothering to grab out blankets for the yami. In his defence, Bakura had lived inside his head for years. If he didn't know where to finds them, it'd be kinda sad.

Flicking off the light in his bedroom and climbing into his bed, he wondered sorely what he was going to do with his new house guest.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

The next morning came rather quickly for the white haired Hikari. Too quick in his opinion. He lay there in his bed staring blankly up at the ceiling, thinking about what was yet to come. The same questions spun over and over in his head, the most important one nagging at the back of his mind.

Just how did Bakura come back?

Both he and Yami were supposed to have crossed over three years ago. They were meant to be well...dead. He had to admit that this was all rather sudden. The last thing he expected was for the guy who'd made his life a living hell to come back and mess it all up again.

A sudden loud crash broke him out of his thoughts, causing him to sit up hastily in alarm. He rushed out of the room and into the living room where the sound had come from. He came to a stop just outside of the room, opting to stand in the doorway rather than completely enter the room. What he saw inside almost made him giggle aloud.

Bakura stood over a fallen lamp with a guilty expression on his face. Upon seeing Ryou, he pulled away from the lamp and stood up straight. Ryou found this hilarious. It was as if he'd caught a misbehaving child in the act. Bakura just stood there with his hands behind his back, watching Ryou for any signs of anger.

"What happened?" Ryou asked with a small grin. He walked over to the lamp's shattered remains and began picking them up. Bakura just continued to stand there watching him before answering.

"It...It flashed when I touched it..." He trailed off, glaring at the remains. Ryou hid a snicker. Of course his yami had no idea about the modern world. After all, he used to be a spirit from 3,000 years ago.

"It's meant to do that. It's one of those lamps that you just have to touch." Ryou told him simply. "Was there really any need to break it?"

Bakura scowled at this and looked away. "How was I supposed to know what it did?"

Ryou sighed. "Whatever. Can you at least go get me a plastic bag to put all this in?"

He didn't really expect Bakura to listen to him, so he was slightly surprised Bakura actually left and came back with a bag. He hid his surprise by bending his head down low to pick up the glass. He didn't even reprimand Bakura for not helping him. He just sat there in silence cleaning up. His soon found his mind wondering to Bakura's behaviour which seemed to have changed drastically over the passing years. He wasn't even paying attention when he picked up his next piece of glass. And due to his carelessness, he sliced open the centre of his palm.

"Ouch!" He winced and dropped the glass. He drew his hand up to his face for a closer look, feeling slightly nauseated by all the blood.

"What happened?"

Ryou ignored his yami and stood up while clutching onto his bleeding hand. He pushed past Bakura and entered the kitchen. By the time Bakura had joined him, he was already rinsing his hand underneath the tap. Ryou hissed when the cut began to sting fiercely and was mildly surprised when Bakura looked over to assess the damage. He watched as Bakura took one look at the cut and smirked.

"It's only a small cut." He taunted while pulling back. "You're such a baby, Ryou."

Ryou turned scarlet at this. '_How dare he call me a baby?!'_ He inwardly seethed. But he said nothing and remained standing there in front of the sink.

"You know, in the old times I'd get cut's a hell of a lot bigger than that. But not once did I ever cry about it. Heh, I've seen thing's that'd give you nightmares for _weeks,_ Hikari."

A sudden rage flared up inside of Ryou at the nickname. It wasn't a nickname in his opinion. No, it was an Insult. "Don't call me that." He muttered.

"Why not? That's what you are, right?"

"No. I'm not."

Bakura raised a single white eyebrow. "Really? How are you not my lighter half?" he asked.

"Because, I don't want to have any connections with you." Ryou growled out. He knew it was childish of him to go around denying the attachment he had to the thief, but he didn't want those attachments. Especially to Bakura.

Bakura's crimson eyes narrowed at these words, and Ryou couldn't help but see the unnatural beauty that they held. It was unique to Bakura, just like everything else about him was. From the off white coloured hair, to the almost translucent skin, he was unique. No one besides Ryou himself had these attributes. But whares Ryou thought his looks appeared to be more natural, he believed that Bakura's looked...surreal. So dreamlike... Like he was a dark prince out of a fairy tale.

'_More like a dark villain.' _ Ryou thought darkly.

He brought his hand away from the rushing water to bandage up. Bakura just stood there the whole time with an amused expression on his face. It seemed that he had failed to see the effect his cheery mood was having on Ryou's darker one. '_Oh the irony.' _

"What are we doing today?" Bakura asked casually once Ryou was cleaned up. Ryou sighed before answering. "You're staying here while I go over to Yugi's house. We need to discuss this...current arrangement of you. And I'm guessing about Yami too."

He walked away from the now scowling thief to get dressed, not caring at all about how much his yami hated the Pharaoh.

Maybe visiting Yugi would be the highlight of his day.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

**I was going to add more to it, but I decided you all deserved a somewhat quick update **

**This chapter was unbetaed. If my Beta, Hermione331 is reading this—I'm sorry! You seem so busy and I didn't want to bother you!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVE!**

**No, really! I check every day to see if I have any more faves, Alerts or reviews! It makes me soo happy when I see something new! **

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	4. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

**[Chapter Four: Confrontation.]**

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

Yugi lay awake in bed, eyes wide and staring straight at his other half who remained asleep, his even breaths tickling Yugi's cheeks. Yugi took this opportunity to study the yami. He'd half expected him to have tanned skin and deep purple eyes, like back in his days of ancient Egypt. But instead, the yami remained the exact same as he has when Yugi had last seen him. He preferred him this way. The change would be all too different if he came back looking like he had just arrived straight out of the Pyramid's themselves.

"Aibou, is there any particular reason you keep staring at me like that?"

Yugi almost leapt into the air, completely startled. Only just noticing his yami's open plumb eyes. He blushed a deep scarlet at this and looked away.

"N-no…Sorry Yam—I mean Atemu." Yugi stumbled over his own words, cursing himself inwardly as he did.

His other half just watched him with amusement, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"Just call me Yami. It's probably easier for you that way." Yami told him, again his breath tickling Yugi's cheeks.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "You can't just change your name so it's easier for me. I mean, you searched for a long time to find out your name and past, and you want to throw it away for me?"

"I can do whatever I please." Yami said with a shrug. "And specking of pasts, Yugi, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Yugi really didn't like how serious Yami had suddenly turned. "W-what is it, Yami?"

"Tell me, what possessed you to think I wanted to come back?" Yami asked, voice cold. Yugi looked away, shame written all over his features. Yami shook his head and patted Yugi on the shoulder, revealing his pale tanned arms from underneath the blanket. Seeing this, Yugi mentally noted to tell him later to put a shirt on.

"Silly. Don't feel bad. In truth, I don't mind where I am. Sure, I have people in the afterlife who've been waiting a long time to see me, but I figure that they wouldn't mind waiting a little longer. Especially after it seems the gods have given me a second chance at life."

"But, Yami…." Yugi trailed off while still avoiding Yami's eyes.

"No buts, Hikari." Yami told him sternly. "I'm here now, there's nothing we can do to change it."

Yugi fiddled with a string of cotton that had pulled itself apart from the blanket. He stared at it for awhile, winding it around his fingers.

"…Fine…" He sighed, his eyes finally meeting Yami's. "I guess you're right."

"Good boy."

"Hey! I'm not a boy! I'm practically a grown man now, see?!" Yugi exclaimed and stood up off the bed to show just how much he'd grown.

Yami chuckled, "Yes, I see. Now come back to bed. I haven't seen you in years."

Yugi rolled his eyes, but obediently climbed back under the blankets. He blushed when Yami placed an arm around him and pulled him in closer. Pressed up against Yami's chest, Yugi could feel his heated skin press up against Yami's own. He tried to pull away without letting on how uncomfortable he felt, but Yami only pulled him in closer.

"What's the matter? Don't want to give me a hug?" Yami teased, sending another wave of embarrassment through Yugi.

"T-That's not it…." Yugi stuttered. "It's just…guys don't normally hug like this…"

"Good thing we aren't normal guys then, huh?"

Yugi sighed. "I'm normal Yami, you're just plain weird."

Yami smiled at this, not at all offended. Instead of commenting back, he pressed his head into Yugi's shoulder blade, enjoying Yugi's flustered reaction. Lying side by side with his head in the crook of Yugi's neck, he felt happy.

Yugi on the other hand had no idea what to do besides just staying where he was. The stared ahead, a blush heating his face. He knew Yami was smiling. He enjoyed making Yugi feel uncomfortable like this, pushing the boundaries on their friendship. But in truth, Yugi didn't mind. That was how Yami was, even if he didn't act that way towards others.

"Are you two up yet?" Yugi heard his grandfather shout, and he sat bolt upright. He broke away from Yami's embrace, ignoring his pout of annoyance.

"Yeah, Grandpa! We're up!" He called back and climbed out of bed. He went over to his drawers and pulled out some clothes, both for himself and Yami.

"Good, because you have a visitor!" came another shout from downstairs. Yugi groaned. Of course they did. Couldn't get one day of sleeping in now could he?

"Coming!"

Dressing at top speed, Yugi pulled on his dark grey jeans and brown T-shirt. He threw Yami his clothes, telling him to hurry up and put them on. Yami took one look at them and scowled.

"Where's the leather?" He asked, staring at the clothes as though they had somehow offended him.

Yugi shook his head. "Leather's uncomfortable, especially now that I've outgrown it all."

"How've you grown? You're the same height you were when I first met you." Yami said with a raised eyebrow. In reply, Yugi threw a shoe at him.

"Just put it on." He told him before darting down the stairs, just in case Yami decided to throw the shoe back at him.

He was just at the end of the stairs when the said shoe came hurtling towards him, causing him to duck just so he could miss it.

"Yugi! Don't you dare throw shoes at me!" Yami shouted, appearing at the foot of the stairs with a smug smile on his face.

Yugi just smiled back at him before dashing away into the living room. His grandpa raised an eyebrow at him from the couch, indicating that now wasn't the time to be playing. So Yugi sat beside the old man and looked up to see their guest.

"Hiya, Yugi." Ryou said politely with a small smile.

Yugi looked at him in surprise. "Ryou…?"

Ryou looked downward at the floor and shuffled his feet. "Yeah…sorry for not coming around so much." He mumbled quietly.

"I-It's okay." Yugi told him, still a little surprised to see him here. After all, Ryou never really went out of his way to make time for his friends. Instead, he isolated himself from them all, making up lame excuses about being busy.

"So…um…Was that Yami I just heard?" Ryou asked, looking up at Yugi for confirmation.

Again, Yugi was surprised. Yami had only returned last night, so he hadn't had the chance to tell anyone yet. It was weird that Ryou already knew and didn't seem the least bit surprised by it.

"Yeah, how'd you—

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about." Ryou interrupted him quickly, eyes flickering towards the staircase where they could hear Yami making his way down the stairs. "I think It'd be best to wait until he got here."

Yugi agreed. So they sat there in silence with his Grandpa, waiting for the Pharaoh to arrive. When he did, he also seemed surprised to see the Whitette. He gave Ryou a bright smile as he walked into the room. He took his place beside Yugi on the couch, leaving Ryou alone on the armchair. Ryou looked a little uncomfortable at being alone, but said nothing, only giving Yami a polite smile.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you, Ryou." Yami spoke to him cheerfully while relaxing into the couch.

"I could say the same for you, Pharaoh." Ryou said lightly with a smile. Yugi was pleased to find that his friend was slowly becoming comfortable and easing into conversation. Giving his grandfather a pointed look, he watched as the old man sighed and shuffled away, leaving them to their conversation.

"Call me Yami, Ryou. I'm no more a Pharaoh than you are. At least, not anymore." Yami smiled while moving closer to Yugi, who stiffened slightly. It was one thing to do it when no-one was around, but in front of Ryou…

"So tell me Ryou, What brings you here?" Yami continued on, not waiting for Ryou to reply.

It was now Ryou's turn to look surprised. "You don't know? I thought you two would have figured it all out, I mean….seeing as you're here, Yami."

Both tri-coloured teens frowned, staring at Ryou in confusion. "What do you mean?" Yugi asked quietly. "What should we have figured out?"

Ryou gave a humorless chuckle. "Really? You don't know? Come on Yugi, if Yami's back don't you think that means the _other's _are back too?"

Yugi could practically feel the room's temperature drop. His own stomach seemed to sink as he understood what Ryou was saying. Bakura. Marik. They were back too.

Yami had frozen, his smile now gone. In its place was a dark scowl. Yugi could see his lip curl as he hissed "The thief…"

"Yeah," Ryou broke in casually, seeming oblivious to Yami's murderous intent. "So what _I_ want to know is how are all the yami's back? I mean, what caused you three to come back to this world?"

Uh Oh. Now Yugi felt really bad. He hadn't just brought Yami back…He'd brought them ALL back. That was bad. Real Bad. His own yami was fine, nobody had any problems with him. But Ryou and Malik's darker halves? That was another story. Malik was completely terrified of his darker half. Just the mention of him was enough to send him into a panic attack. And Ryou was also afraid of his yami, but to a lesser extent. Marik was a psychotic killer, while Bakura would simply abuse his lighter half for the sheer hell of it.

"T-That would be my fault…" Yugi stammered, looking at the floor. He could feel both pairs of eyes staring at him, both in shock. At first, they said nothing. Just simply stared. But then…

"How could you!" Ryou shouted, standing up. "How could you bring that—that—_monster _ back?!"

Yami also stood up, but only to calm Ryou down. "Ryou…"

"No! You don't understand! He'll kill me! He will!" the Whitette fumed, teeth bared and eyes tearing up. "I can't believe you, Yugi!"

Yugi flinched and kept his head down. Ryou was right; he really should have thought all this through. But Yami didn't seem to agree with this.

"It's not his fault, Ryou." Yami told the teen calmly, hands held up in attempt to calm him. "He just wanted me back."

"Yeah, but now thanks to him, I am stuck dealing with a demon!" Ryou yelled back, his face turning pink. Yugi kept quiet, too ashamed to say anything.

"It's all right and dandy for you two, but for me it's a living hell when he's around! You have no idea what he's like, do you?! And don't even get me started on Marik!" Ryou continued on.

"I-I really didn't mean to, Ryou…." Yugi mumbled quietly, tears forming in his eyes. "I just thought Shadi would bring back Yami, not...the other two."

Ryou snorted, but said nothing and looked away. Yami studied him carefully for a second before his eyes traveled over to the now sobbing Yugi. Well, trust Bakura to cause everyone to break down. Pointedly ignoring Ryou, Yami took his seat beside Yugi and placed his arms around the small teen, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. He knew Ryou was still fuming, but it was probably best to wait until they had both calm down enough to talk rationally.

"Ryou, I understand you feel upset about all of this, but don't take it out on Yugi. He was just doing what he thought was right." Yami said quietly. Ryou didn't look at him, but Yami knew that he felt slightly guilty for his outburst. However, it was not enough to make him feel any better.

"What should I do, Yami?" Ryou sniffled, rubbing his eyes on the back of his sleeve angrily. He then sunk back down into his armchair and put his head into his hands. "He'd probably going to kill me in my sleep." He said quietly in a muffled voice.

Yami was at a loss of what to do. Yugi was sobbing quietly and mumbling incoherent things in between his sobs, and Ryou looked as though the apocalypse were upon them. The Pharaoh sighed, already exhausted from today—and it wasn't even past noon. He watched them both a moment longer before trying again to set things right.

"Come on you two…" He said weakly, "It's not that bad. Chances are Ryou; Bakura won't even come near you. I mean, why should he? He's got no reason to. And the same goes for Marik. With any luck, they'll both get hit by some large, painful looking truck and never bother us again. And Yugi, don't feel bad. You brought _me _back. That's got to count as something, right?"

They both remained quiet, causing Yami to groan in exasperation. But at least Ryou had brought his head out. He wasn't looking at Yami, but staring at the place near Yami's feet.

"I should go." He said finally. He stood up briskly and made his way over to the front door. Just as he was about to leave, he looked back. With a curt nod, he thanked them both for having him over, and left. Leaving only the echoing sound of the slammed door behind. Yugi flinched at the noise, and resumed crying.

"Aibou…. Hey, come on. He's just angry now. Wait until later on, when he's calmed down a bit." Yami told him soothingly.

Yugi shook his head. "It's my fault, Yami! Now Ryou hates me, and Malik will too when he finds out." He cried before burying his head in between two cushions.

Yami bit his lip at the mention of Malik. Yes, he was quite sure the Egyptian teen wouldn't be all too pleased when he found out that not only was Marik back, but Yugi was the cause.

"Come on, Yugi. They'll get over it. Stop beating yourself up over this. As I told Ryou, they won't have any need to go near their lighter halves. Bakura and Marik just don't work that way.

Although Yami himself had said this, he couldn't help but feel that he were wrong. That clearly, he had no idea who he was talking about. But if it made Yugi happy, he'd say the untruthful words over and over again.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

"Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" Ryou cursed as he stormed home down the streets of Domino city. Yami had no idea what was going on. Clearly, he knew _nothing _about the 3,000 year old thief. Wouldn't come near him? Ha! Bakura had already shown up on his doorstep in the middle of the night and made himself at home on his couch.

Ryou continued on like this until he reached his home. Flinging open the door and storming past a sleeping Bakura, he practically bolted to his room. He slammed the door shut behind him and clambered up into his bed. He lay like that for awhile, grounding out all his frustrations into his pillow. Tear's which he'd refused to shed beforehand now streamed freely from his eyes.

It wasn't until he heard a sharp rapping on his door that made him stop. He didn't move, just hushed his crying for a few moment's to listen to what the thief king wanted.

"Ryou? Open this Ra damn door now. What the fuck happened?" Came Bakura's voice through the door.

"Just go away." Ryou shouted to him and buried his head into the damp pillow. He heard a curse from the door before Bakura continued on shouting.

"For fuck's sake, Ryou. _Open _the fucking door. Or so lord help me, I'll knock it down and drag your scrawny ass out here!"

"I'd like to see you try." Ryou mumbled darkly and continued on laying there. It was times like these that he was thankful he'd put a lock on his bedroom door.

There were a few sounds of the door knob turning, and some noises which sounded as though Bakura really was trying to break down the door. Well, doors weren't built like how they were in Egypt, Bakura.

Finally they stopped, and it seemed Bakura had given up on persuading him to open the door. Instead, he seemed to have decided he'd talk through the door.

"What happened? Did the Pharaoh and his all mighty brat get mad at you for housing their worst enemy? Or couldn't they help you get rid of me? Is that it?"

Ryou ignored him. He let Bakura go on, asking stupid questions. It didn't matter. As long as there was a door between them, Bakura could go on for as long as he wanted.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

**A/N: Aaaaaand I ended it there. Yup. Sorry! (Not sorry) **

**Errr I have work all week. Anyone wanna come save me? Anyone? No? Damn…..**

**Ah! Before I forget-!**

**Important Note: **

**If there is anything you find weird about the story, or think I could Improve—let me know. Doesn't have to be in the Reviews, You can Just PM me, kay? I want to get better with my writing, and that can only happen if you tell me what I do wrong :P**

**Oh, and thank you—Slashed-silhouette, Guest12345, Walking-in-dark, Little Sister Amy, Mici Angels, Lily1505 and FactorLover for all your reviews so far! They really inspired me to write more, even when I felt like crap.**

**Until Next time!**

**-YamiAkane97**


	5. Inescapable

**Disclaimer: I Don't Own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**Quick Note: **** Just letting you all know I died when I read your reviews. This is Akane from the grave! Writing a fanfic you'll hopefully enjoy! **

**WARNING: **** Uh… This chapter will have some….Mild(?) Gore. Just skip it if you don't want to read it.**

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

**[Chapter Five: Inescapable]**

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

"You know, I could have sworn I asked you to clear away those dishes last night, Malik."

When his sister's firm rebuke reaches Malik's ears, he cringes. Yes, she had indeed asked him to clear them away, along with washing and drying them before putting them away. But being the young college student who had exams coming soon, had forgotten them and left them there whilst his older siblings slept.

He lay on his stomach in his bed, his face resting on top of the book he'd been studying last night. Next to him lay a pencil, an eraser and a sharpener—all scattered carelessly around the bed. With a groan, he lifted his head up to see his older sister standing in the doorway of his bedroom with a rather nasty reprimanding scowl upon her face.

"Malik, answer me when I speak to you!"

"Alright, Alright! I'm getting up!"

Ishizu narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing. A clear warning to the teen that if he didn't live up to his words in the next couple of seconds, there'd be hell to pay.

With an extravagated sigh, he stood up from his mess. A quick glance around the room told him that soon he'd have to clean that too, otherwise Ishizu would be back on his case. And without bothering to put on a shirt, he left the room for the kitchen, where a set of plates, cups and cutlery awaited him.

He was halfway through finishing them when his older brother came out of his own room with an amused smile on his face. Upon seeing this, Malik scowled. It didn't seem fair that both Odion and Ishizu left him with the chores, despite the fact that he _was _the youngest around here.

"What's wrong, Malik? Ishizu getting you to do the dishes again?" Odion grins and props himself up against the edge of the counter and taking an apple out of the fruit bowl beside Malik.

"What does it look like?" The growls reproachfully with his eyes focused solely on the sink full of hot soapy water, and the dishes below its surface.

"Calm down, little brother. It's just a few chores."

"Just a few chores? Come off it, Odion. You and Ishizu are working me like a _slave._"

Odion chuckles lightly at this. "Sure, Malik. Sure."

Malik's scowl deepens, but he chooses not to respond. He instead tries to focus on his chore and scrubs at a particularly dirty plate. After a few minutes of silence, Odion tries again.

"Malik, we're just trying to teach you these things. Chores will eventually become work, and work means an income. Without an income, how will you survive?"

"I'll become a male prostitute and change my name to Marko. I'll then make millions from my highly sexy body and spend it on making other's do stupid things like the dishes." Malik replies darkly while scrubbing harder on the plate.

Odion smiles and shakes his head. "Then you'll probably die from the numerous diseases you will eventually carry inside of you."

"The dream life has its ups and downs."

"I'm sure."

More silence issues, in which Odion uses to finally take a bite of his apple. He chews it thoughtfully while watching the teen that has his back to him. When he's done, he wonders if Malik will ever grow out of his childish ways. Over the years, his little brother had grown up in some ways, yet remained the same in others. He still played the occasional prank, only to get scolded by either Ishizu or Odion himself. Yet when it came to his future, he become downright serious with his studies. He refused to tell either of his siblings his plans, and requested that they let him work it all out as opposed to helping him. This bothered Odion immensely, but he quietly respected the boy's wishes. After all, he'd tell them when he was ready.

"Malik, could you do me a favor?" He asks his brother suddenly. The teen lifts his head up from his work to glare at his older brother, but keeps quiet.

"After that, could you run up to the store and get some Milk? Ishizu will be mad if she finds out we're out."

Malik rolls his eyes, but nods anyway. Satisfied, Odion walks back down to his bedroom to get ready for his job.

And so, after his chore is completed, Malik sets out. Since its still early morning, he takes his time. No doubt that when he returns Ishizu will have something new for him to do. Like maybe weeding the garden or something. He snorts angrily at this. He should be at home studying for tests, not playing the role of some errand boy. The walk is long and kind of tiring, not to mention the freezing temperature of Japan's climate. It was enough to make him wish he could just hop back on the first plane back to Egypt. But as usual, Ishizu had _business_ to attend to in Japan.

"Stupid Ishizu." He mutters under his breath darkly. "Stupid Odion."

"Is that really any way to speak about your siblings, Hikari?"

Malik stops dead on the sidewalk, fear racing through every vain in his body. He _knows _that voice. He'd know it anywhere. That voice plagued his nightmares with taunts and jeers, its mocking tone filling his eardrums with its sound. He didn't even need to turn around to know the owner of that cruel voice.

"You should answer your yami when he speaks you, my pretty Malik. It's not nice to ignore me." The voice taunts. But Malik is paralyzed to the spot, unable to even move his lips.

"Come on, Hikari. Don't you remember me?"

'_Of course I do. How can I forget?' _He wants to say. But the fear still grips him, holding his limbs in place. His mind is screaming at him to run, but there's really nothing he can do. Besides, Marik has already caught him.

The thought sends a shiver down his spine and he gulps. His realizes then that he's been holding his breath and forces himself to take a breath of air. Doing so almost strangles him, and his breathing becomes erratic. The teen can practically _hear _the sounds of his yami's mirth. The dark chuckling at his panicked state.

"Is something wrong?" The voice teases, and Malik feels a hand being placed on his shoulder.

Using the newly found oxygen in his system, he lets out a blood curling scream.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

Ryou can feel the angry tears sliding down his cheeks, but he makes no effort to stop them. In his hand, his phone sits with its new message for him from Yugi. Despite the tears, he finds it kind of funny as he reads the message for the fourth time. _"Stay away from Bakura. If he comes near you, let us know __immediately__."_

Of course, it probably wasn't from Yugi at all. Most likely it was Yami, whose concern for his friends extended beyond measure. Ryou found it funny because it was already too late. Bakura had found him. Hell, he'd _invited _the devil to stay with him. Although this was his own fault, he kept finding himself shifting the blame to Yugi, the cause of all this mess.

"Are you _still_ crying in there?"

And god, the demon still hadn't left him alone after hours of pounding away at his bedroom door with his fists. This too was kind of amusing, and left him wondering why the thief was even bothering. He'd half expected him to have given up by now. But no, apparently he liked meddling with things that weren't even his own business.

"Just go away!"

"Not until you come out!"

"Well then I hope you like sleeping on the floor, because I'm staying in here all night!"

The sound of an irritated grunt reached his ears, along with the sound of a thump. Ryou's best guess was that Bakura was actually listening to him and preparing to spend the night outside the door.

"You gotta come outta there sometime, Brat. You'll eventually need food."

"Correction, you'll need food." Came Ryou's snarky reply, knowing all too well that if Bakura _really _wanted to get in the room, the window would already be smashed and the thief would be dragging his half dead body over the lawn.

"We'll see. Even the greatest of men get hungry."

And as much as he hated to admit it, Bakura was right. Ryou _would _eventually get hungry and require food. And his room may be the only place he could get solace and quite time to itself; he hadn't gotten around to installing a mini fridge yet.

He rolled over in his bed in a futile attempt to ignore the yami. Already his throat was beginning to feel parched, which meant he'd need to leave to get a drink soon. Maybe if he snuck out the window and asked his neighbors for some supplies for the next few days. But even as he thought of ways to get around his darker half, he found all kinds of faults in his plans. For one, his window made a loud screeching noise every time it was opened, which would alert the yami immediately. Another flaw was the neighbors themselves. They wouldn't even lend him so much as a toothpick should he ask.

And so, he waited. He'd spent the remainder of yesterday in his room after his visit with Yugi, and so he'd spend all of today in there too.

The sound of his stomach complaining loudly only annoyed him further.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

It was impossible to tell how long he'd been sitting there, chained to the floor by who knows what, but he was pretty sure he'd been there for quite some time. Maybe three or four hours. All he really knew for certain that being chained, gagged and blindfolded was _not _a comfortable feeling. He also had little recollection of how he'd gotten there in the first place. All he could really remember was his yami being there, scaring the daylights out of him.

Also, his head hurt. Like someone had taken a frying pan and smacked it across his head. _Ouch._

"Scares you, doesn't it? Being unable to see me." Says the voice, and Malik can imagine the smirk on the psychotic monster's face.

Unable to answer from his kneeling position with his wrists bound to the floor, he remains both unmoving and silent. It's as though he hadn't heard Marik at all.

The yami tsked. "I blinded you, not deafened. At least raise your head when I speak, my darling Malik."

Alongside the fear, both rage and embarrassment heated his face so that a nice pink blush was spread evenly across his cheeks. The word _darling _rings through his ears.

He can also hear the faint echoing footsteps as Marik paces around the room, his shoes clacking against the hard, cold floor beneath them. From the sound of it, the Egyptian teen guesses that it's concrete. And judging by the echoing sounds….maybe they're in an abandoned warehouse? There are a few of these scattered all over Domino, all empty shells of what they used to be. Where Marik got the chains to bind him to the floor is uncertain, but hardly matters. As panic swells up inside of him, he starts considering what Ishizu will say when she finds out her little brother is dead.

"If you just lift your head up, I promise I'll take the gag off."

Malik refuses to humor him, wishing that the demon would burn in some bottomless pit.

"Malik…." The voice coos, and Malik shudders in disgust.

A sigh. "Fine. I was going to take it off anyway."

The teen tenses as he hears his yami taking slow, deliberate strides towards him. It isn't until he can practically _feel _the yami's heated breath on his face that his mind registers just how much danger he's actually in. He pulls away, leaning back as much as his restraints will let him. Marik only chuckles at this, his voice low and rich in Malik's ear. Gently, if not carefully, he feels the knot at the back of his head be tugged on until it finally gives way. It falls unceremoniously to the floor as Malik tests the feeling of his now freed mouth.

"And now, the blindfold."

Again, more hands at the back of his head. Deciding that he'd like to have his sight back, he stays perfectly still. Once it is removed, he blinks up at the startling sunlight emitting from a far off window.

"Good boy." Marik smiles at him.

The teen feels his eyes widen as the sight of his father's killer. Gone are the white jeans and black tank top, same as the Purple cape he used to wear. In their place was a faded grey shirt with dark jeans. Where he got them, Malik would never know.

"See? Isn't that better?"

"Fucking Bastard" He shouts angrily, ignoring his horse voice. He kind of expected his yami to smile or laugh at this, but instead he scowled.

"What was that, my pretty?"He snarls, and a hand lunges out and grabs a fist full of Malik's blond hair. Malik cries out in pain, feeling the yami's claw like hands attacking his scalp.

"I thought this would be appropriate." Marik grins suddenly, extracting a rather large, jagged looking knife from some unseen place.

Malik's scream rips through his throat.

**~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~**

**A/N: Good or Bad? Too Many Knives? Too much screaming? Too much cliffhangers?**

**Are you reading this Authors note?**

**Do you read any of them?**

**SO MANY QUESTIONS!**

**(Sorry, I had too much sugar.)**

**Anyway….**

**THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FAVES AND FOLLOWS!**

**Your reward: Bakura giving you a personal strip tease. It's there if you want it :P**

**-YamiAkane97**


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